Survey Shows Some Ohio Communities Positive About Shale Drilling

An Ohio University survey shows a majority of leaders and officials in 17 counties where shale development is occurring say it’s good for their communities.

Researchers asked leaders questions about how their populations, economy, infrastructure and the environment are affected. Brian Bull of member station WCPN in Cleveland reports.

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Leaders in counties with all kinds of shale activity, from drilling and pipeline construction to housing workers and refining, reported rises in population and workforce migration, and restaurant, retail and hotel business, according to the survey.

But many also reported increases in traffic volume, and a need for more attention to road and bridge maintenance.

Environmental issues of most concern are demand for water and disposal of drilling wastewater.

Noise pollution was cited by many as having increased significantly, although the survey didn’t specify if that was considered a harm.

It also didn’t ask leaders about contamination.

Overall, shale development is met with widespread approval from leadership throughout the 17 counties, says Scott Miller, Director of Ohio University’s Consortium for Energy, Economics, and the Environment.

Miller: We also see that shale development is generally seen as positive force by local elected officials, with 87-point-1 saying it’s either been a positive or a neutral influence, and only 7-point-8 saying that it’s a negative influence.

More than half of respondents were township trustees, while roughly a third were mayors or city managers. The remainder was county commissioners.